Crowe frustration at what might have been

Market Rasen racer Phil Crowe rode to a pair of top six finishes at the latest round of the Thundersport GB GP1 Championship at Oulton Park on Saturday.
Phil Crowe in action during a frustrating weekend at Oulton Park Picture: Janet Whitham EMN-160407-145143002Phil Crowe in action during a frustrating weekend at Oulton Park Picture: Janet Whitham EMN-160407-145143002
Phil Crowe in action during a frustrating weekend at Oulton Park Picture: Janet Whitham EMN-160407-145143002

Fresh back from his superb results at the Isle of Man TT races, Crowe put the BMW on pole for the start of race one.

Unfortunately the weather disrupted preparations for race one on Saturday as the heavens opened just as the riders were to take their places on the grid.

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This sent them scurrying back to the awnings to quickly change tyres.

Once the race finally got under way, Crowe settled into fourth place, but as the race unfolded the rain stopped and track began to dry.

This affected tyre wear and the Lincolnshire rider dropped back to a distant fifth and was then overhauled by Matt Waldron on the final lap which put him back to sixth at the chequered flag.

“That was a hard race as my wet tyres turned to chewing gum as the track began to dry,” he said.

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The second race also incorporated the Adam Boyle Trophy and despite holding fourth place for the majority of the nine laps, Crowe eventually completed the race in fifth.

“It was a frustrating fifth place for me in the last race,” he added. “I was held up by ex-GP rider Jeremy McWilliams on the Aprilia.

“I managed to pass him twice, but couldn’t make it stick as I made a mistake as soon as I got past both times.

“We got in the mix with Craig Neve who then managed to pass me. I was looking to challenge him again, but made a big mistake and lost three seconds.

“It was mega riding with McWilliams as he has obviously still got the skill, but the Aprilia looked hard to ride.

“If it had been working well he would have been gone!”

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